Lucky Seven

by Elle M Thomas

  “If I have infuriated you by that you had better brace yourself,” she warned and decided to avoid omissions, but planned to play down the events.

  “Go on.”

  “When we got there, he was still laying into her. I intervened and he turned on me, but I got Dan and Pippa out and sent Lucy to call the police. The Solomons next door had also called the police and Gerry.”

  “What do you mean, he turned on you?” Jim spoke with apparent calmness.

  “This is where you are likely to become really infuriated. He hit me across the face and said some unpleasant things and as we know my smart mouth can’t help itself so after I unleashed it he flipped slightly and really hit me.” She braced herself for his anger.

  “Where? Where did he hit you and with what? With his hand?” Jim still sounded remarkably calm.

  Who asks what you’ve been hit with? James Maybury does. He was supposed to assume she’d been slapped.

  “Natasha, just tell me, please, or I will be on a flight to London tonight.”

  She believed his words were in no way an empty threat. “You don’t need to do that. I am fine, really. He hit me across the back, legs and arms. He hit me with his hands and he erm, he has only ever lost it like this a couple of times before, erm,” she hesitated nervously, anticipating the anger and irritation that would undoubtedly be unleashed once the words were out.

  “Tasha, please, baby, tell me,” he said with only gentleness to most people, but Tasha could hear the hint of anxiety and insistence entering the final two words.

  “His belt,” she said with a distinct wobble to her voice as Lucy and Dan looked on.

  “He beat you with his belt? He is a fucking lunatic and he will never touch you again, ever. If he does, I will fucking kill him. I will get back on to legal and get a restraining order and Amanda can book me on the next flight over—”

  “No, James, please don’t change your plans,” she pleaded. “The legal stuff is fine and the P.R. but I’m fine. A bit bruised, but fine and you will be over next week anyway. I love you and I miss you, but I don’t want you to come over like this. I promise I will tell you what’s happening,” she said, hoping to reassure him.

  “I won’t book anything tonight, but I need you to video call tomorrow so I can see you for myself.” He spoke with an eerie calmness.

  For now, Tasha was relieved he wasn’t changing his plans because as much as she wanted to see him, she didn’t want him to have to come over and rescue her. She wanted to take some control and allow him to see she wasn’t another one of his children or someone who was weak, a responsibility. She needed him to see her as his equal, his partner, she hoped. “I promise. Text me when you wake up in the morning and we can do it then.” She hoped she’d bought enough time to let the redness fade and to be able to put some make up over her face to mask any marks.

  “I guess, but complete honesty, no lies, even ones of omission.”

  “Yes, complete honesty,” she agreed. “Are you still infuriated by me?”

  “More than you would believe, but we will talk about it when I see you.”

  “I thought we might. James, I need to go to bed, I’m knackered”

  “Then go to bed and text me when you get up to tell me how you are.”

  “Okay,” she agreed. “Night.”

  “Night, baby. I love you.”

  She smiled and hung up. As infuriated as he was, he was still gentle and loving.

  “Okay?” asked Lucy.

  Tasha nodded. “But I am going to bed. Dan, are you going to college tomorrow?”

  “I suppose,” he replied.

  “I will drop you off and take Pippa to school and make sure they know she is not to go anywhere with anyone other than you or me and then I will visit Grandma. I also need to make a statement to the police. Jim has sorted legal people to get injunctions and residency sorted and I now have P.R. people.” She smiled and raised her eyebrows.

  “Do you trust him, Tash?” asked Dan, his sister was acting very un-Tasha-like, allowing this man, Jim, to be so involved with their very messy home life.

  “Yes, I do, with my life. He really is one of the good guys, Dan. You’ll like him. But I really am knackered. Night.” She kissed Dan who was already in his makeshift bed on the sofa then Lucy who was going to bed herself.

  Chapter 29

  Tasha jumped, the sound of her message alert waking her from a restless night’s sleep. She frowned seeing six o’clock on her screen. Her frown deepened and a sigh accompanied it when she realised the message was from Liam. What did he want and how had he got her number? She glanced across at Pippa who was still fast asleep and smiled as she thought how innocent and peaceful her sister looked. She pulled herself out of bed and winced, all of her aches and some new ones rediscovered. She put her black robe over her t-shirt and short pjs and quietly padded down the hall towards the kitchen. Dan was already awake and sitting up on the sofa with breakfast TV on.

  “Sorry, did I wake you?”

  “No. I’ve had a text from Liam.” She was still shocked by that fact.

  “What the…he is unbelievable. What’s he want?” Dan asked, more concerned than ever.

  “I haven’t read it yet, but I will and then I will have to call Jim with the details.”

  “He seems a bit controlling, Tash. Are you okay with it?” Her brother wore an awkward expression. “I’m just saying, and with everything you’ve done, been through—”

  Tasha nodded, why wouldn’t she? Dan’s points were valid. “He is a control freak, but he cares for me, Dan. He’s the same in every area of his life, but he would never put me, us, in danger. He wants to make everything right and to be honest I quite like his control freak streak most of the time.”

  “You love him, don’t you?”

  “Yes. Like I have never loved anyone before,” she told her smiling brother. “Now, let’s check this message.”

 

  She reread it aloud to Dan. “Will you pay him off? With cash I mean,” he added with a look of mortification.

  “I don’t know. I could, but I think Jim will say to tell him to go fuck himself. Plus, when Dad gets out he will just run up another debt and it has to stop. I need to contact Jim,” she said as Lucy appeared and hugged her.

  “How you doing?”

  “Just sore,” Tasha assured her friend as she quickly text Jim.

 

 

 

  Within seconds of sending Liam’s message her phone rang.

  “Morning, honey. This guy is taking the piss now. He can go fuck himself,” he said, making her laugh.

  “I told Dan you would say that,” she explained.

  “Then you obviously know me very well, Miss Winters. I will get this passed onto legal and they will get an injunction against him, too. Do not contact him, do not meet him and do not give him any money.”

  “I won’t. I’ll wait to speak to the legal bods.”

  “I have arranged a meeting for four o’clock with P.R. and legal at the law firm’s offices, but they will call you to confirm the address and discuss the details they need. I spoke to Angie last night. I like her, she plays hard ball,” he revealed taking her aback with the information of his contact with Angie.

  “You have been a busy boy.” She smiled as she imagined him going into protective, control freak overdrive.

  “I had to do something to stop me from booking a flight. I’m still n
ot sure I shouldn’t be on my way to sort it myself, but I have some commitments and I know you don’t want me to come charging in. So, for now we’ll see what happens then talk again.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me, it’s what I do and if I don’t look out for my lucky seven, who will?” he asked with a smile she could sense.

  “Thank you,” she repeated.

  “Wonders will never cease. You didn’t argue about not being my lucky seven, baby. Start packing for Vegas,” he laughed.

  “But I didn’t say I was,” she protested.

  “But we both know you are.” He laughed again. “Look, baby, you must be busy so text me this afternoon before I go to work and we can video call so I can see just what that fucking animal has done to you.”

  “I will text you first. See you later.”

  “Take care baby, I love you.”

  His three-word declaration washed over her and it felt as though the words were caressing and comforting her.

  “I love you too.”

  “Dan said Liam has text you,” said a bemused Lucy as Tasha hung up.

  “Yeah, but while we’ve all been sleeping Jim has arranged meetings and is now contacting legal to get an injunction against Liam too.”

  “He is very impressive, Tash. I can’t wait to meet him,” said Lucy seriously.

  “It is killing him not to be on the next flight over so you may meet him sooner than you think.” She laughed, half-heartedly. There was nothing she wanted more than to see Jim, to touch him and be held by him, kept safe by him, but it could wait, it needed to wait.

  Pippa appeared, stretching and yawning as she padded across the room. “Your bed is so comfy, Tash. What’s for breakfast?”

  Tasha smiled at her ability to bounce back from the horror of the previous night and think of the mundane, such as breakfast.

  Tasha dropped Dan at college and Pippa at school where she’d been invited into Mr Mason’s office to discuss their situation. She sat opposite her former head teacher and smiled as she thought about the similarities between his office and Jim’s at home. She felt certain she blushed as she looked down at the desk and remembered her experience on Jim’s desk top.

  “Natasha, I don’t want to pry, but I need to have some background on the situation with Philippa. Your parents have legal rights to remove her from school and I can’t legally stop them, but if the situation is extenuating, I can be obstructive,” he explained.

  She looked across at the kind fifty-year-old man in front of her; a tall and gangly man who managed to make even the best cut clothes hang awkwardly but also sweet and caring.

  He studied her over the top of his gold, metal framed glasses and smiled. “Natasha, I want to help. I know your parents have never made life easy for you.” His words coaxed her to trust him, which she did, but they were also intended to encourage her to continue.

  “There was a big fight at home, my father beat my mother and when I intervened, well,” she said, gesturing to the cuts and abrasions on her face barely covered by make-up.

  “I see,” said Mr Mason.

  “My father has been arrested and my mother continues to defend him and the police are aware that I have removed Pippa from the family home and I have a legal team dealing with residency and restraining orders today, so as soon as they are available I will bring them in and you can act accordingly.” She sounded much calmer than she felt, not that she really knew how she was feeling with her mind still whirring and her emotions shifting from one extreme to the other.

  “You are a very good girl, Natasha, always were, and I am glad Philippa has you. It’s just a shame you didn’t have someone when you were here,” he said sadly.

  “I’m fine,” she protested, forcing back unwelcome tears. “And I have people now; I have friends and Dan and Philippa and a boyfriend, fiancé person,” she said to her own if not Mr Mason’s surprise.

  ****

  She had just arrived at her grandmother’s house when her phone rang with an unknown number.

  “Hello, Miss Winters?”

  “Yes,” she replied nervously, hoping not to hear Liam’s voice at the other end of the line.

  “My name is Jerome Stewart and I represent Wakeman, Stewart and Styler. Mr Maybury has retained us to deal with your legal requirements regarding your safety and that of your siblings.”

  “He said you’d be calling.”

  “I need to take some details to get the ball rolling and then we have a meeting arranged with Mr Maybury at four this afternoon which you will need to attend. I have called the police and they will attend our offices after our meeting to take all of your statements where you will have representation. Your P.R. team have been briefed on the current and any anticipated situation so I think we are on schedule, any questions?”

  She took a deep breath. This guy would be right up Jim’s street, reeling off details, facts and questions that left little room for debate.

  “What do you mean, a meeting with Mr Maybury?”

  “Virtually, Miss Winters. He won’t actually be here as he was still in L.A. when I spoke to him about an hour ago.”

  He still wasn’t sleeping.

  “Let me take your address.”

  He gave her the address and established the details of her dad, Liam, Pippa, Dan and her then gave her a direct number for him. “That’s us done for now then, Miss Winters, and I will see you at four o’clock. It may be wise to bring your brother and sister with you,” he said then hung up.

  Tasha explained everything to her grandmother whose reaction took her by surprise.

  “I am so sorry, Natasha. We have let you down badly. We should have intervened sooner and saved you all from that man and your stupid mother.”

  “Grandma, it wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t know what was going on and it’s being sorted now.” She squeezed her Grandma’s hand, knowing she still didn’t know everything she’d endured and for that she was grateful.

  “I like the sound of this man you’re seeing, even if he is older and American,” she said with a small frown creasing her brow, making Tasha smile.

  “He is a good, kind and generous man and I don’t care if he’s older or American,” Tasha laughed.

  “When will I meet him?” asked Celia Winters, smiling at her oldest grandchild.

  “He is fighting every urge not to fly straight over, but I don’t want him to see me like this, plus this is a mess, a dirty, ugly mess. I would really like to take some control before I see him and I think he’ll be calmer when things are sorted legally. So, the end of next week or if you want to come to this meeting this afternoon, he will be present via a screen.”

  Her grandmother nodded. “I will come. I think your grandfather and I should take some of the responsibility with you and from you. We’ll meet you there, won’t we, Paul?”

  Her grandfather looked over the top of his newspaper and smiled. “Of course we will. We talked into the night about this, Nat, and we have to accept some responsibility for thinking that by paying your school fees, having you to stay some weekends and picking up the tab for your hobbies was enough. We should have done more, but we thought he would have an advantage over us if we wanted greater control in your lives. He would have wanted financial recompense and we couldn’t give him that. We worked hard and built up a business and we couldn’t just hand it over to him. He ruined your mother’s life, but we wouldn’t allow him to ruin ours and we thought if we educated you kids then we could stop him from ruining your lives too,” he said sadly.

  “And you did,” replied Tasha tearfully. “You gave me the opportunities and the education to get out from his grasp, you and Gerry. Gerry gave me introductions and a home and you gave me my education and the opportunities that gave me the confidence to take a few risks and give acting a go, which has made me money, given me limited fame and it’s trappings and it has allowed me to meet good people and put me in the position to take control of this situation.” Tasha was alre
ady making her way over to hug her grandfather.

  “We will be there, Nat.” He kissed her on the cheek and stroked her hair. “You are a very beautiful girl, inside and out.”

  “What do we do about Mum? Jim reckons if she won’t help herself then we can’t force her and should cut her loose.”

  “How very American,” said Paul with an arched brow. “It was the hardest thing we ever did, cutting her loose in the first place, but if she won’t make a statement after what he did last night and with all of this help available, I am inclined to agree with your Jim.”

  Tasha left her grandparent’s home, sent the parcel to Jim containing her school uniform and a couple of extra items and was now in a furniture shop looking for a bed for Dan when she received another text from Liam.

 

  Heat and nausea washed over her when she looked at the message again. How could he think she wanted to be with him? That she ever had. She didn’t miss it at all, and the inference that she was a dirty bitch was because he believed she had enjoyed being with him, doing what she’d done and letting him do the things he’d done to her. She shuddered, remembering her past and still with the urge to expel the contents of her stomach, she left the shop without a bed.

  She got home and thought she should text Jim, as promised, to arrange for him to see her bruises. Not romantic and nothing like their last date.

  She composed her text.